This year’s race for Selectmen will likely feature three candidates vying for two seats, two incumbents and one newcomer.

The newcomer, Jim Munise, returned his nomination papers last week. His opponents are Patrick Tropeano and Anthony Scarsciotti. The top two vote getters will win seats on the board.

This is Munise’s first run for a town board, though he has been involved with the Wareham Land Trust, serving as a member of its board of directors and then president for five years.

Retired from a long career at Bridgewater State University, Munise said he wanted to serve Wareham now that he has extra time.

“I’m ready to get back into things and put my skills to work,” said Munise, who has headed three different unions at the state college.

Munise said he’s always paid attention to local issues and attends Planning Board and Selectmen’s meetings as a resident. He’s also a regular at Town Meeting. 

As for why he’s running, Munise said he wanted to bring a different perspective to the board.

“We need to think about how we can approach problems positively,” he said. “Let’s look at a situation and say ‘how can we do that?’ and approach things in that light.”

For candidates to appear on the ballot they must secure the signatures of 50 registered voters. Those signatures are due to the Town Clerk on Feb. 11.